Last shot of the day on a film set, also the last name of the author of this blog. Martin - Latin singular, those soldiers who work for Mars, God of War. A smith. In this lifetime of words, music and film. AKA "The Afterlife Expert" (Coast to Coast AM) If you want to reach me, I can be found on FB, LinkedIn, or Gmail under MartiniProds (my youtube channel)

Friday

Politics aside, Michael Moore is an incendiary filmmaker, and has changed the market for documentary filmmakers (myself included) worldwide. Just got this email from his mailing list missive, but it sounds like he's going to have a bumpy ride.. which will translate into big B.O. Either way, thought y'all would be amused:

"Sicko" Is Completed and We're Off to Cannes!

May 17, 2007

Friends,

It's a wrap! My new film, "Sicko," is all done and will have its world premiere this Saturday night at the Cannes Film Festival. As with "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11," we are honored to have been chosen by this prestigious festival to screen our work there.

My intention was to keep "Sicko" under wraps and show it to virtually no one before its premiere in Cannes. That is what I have done and, as you may have noticed if you are a recipient of my infrequent Internet letters, I have been very silent about what I've been up to. In part, that's because I was working very hard to complete the film. But my silence was also because I knew that the health care industry -- an industry which makes up more than 15 percent of our GDP -- was not going to like much of what they were going to see in this movie and I thought it best not to upset them any sooner than need be.

Well, going quietly to Cannes, I guess, was not to be. For some strange reason, on May 2nd the Bush administration initiated an action against me over how I obtained some of the content they believe is in my film. As none of them have actually seen the film (or so I hope!), they decided, unlike with "Fahrenheit 9/11," not to wait until the film was out of the gate and too far down the road to begin their attack.

Bush's Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, launched an investigation of a trip I took to Cuba to film scenes for the movie. These scenes involve a group of 9/11 rescue workers who are suffering from illnesses obtained from working down at Ground Zero. They have received little or no help with their health care from the government. I do not want to give away what actually happens in the movie because I don't want to spoil it for you (although I'm sure you'll hear much about it after it unspools Saturday). Plus, our lawyers have advised me to say little at this point, as the film goes somewhere far scarier than "Cuba." Rest assured of one thing: no laws were broken. All I've done is violate the modern-day rule of journalism that says, "ask no questions of those in power or your luncheon privileges will be revoked."

This preemptive action taken by the Bush administration on the eve of the "Sicko" premiere in Cannes led our attorneys to fear for the safety of our film, noting that Secretary Paulson may try to claim that the content of the movie was obtained through a violation of the trade embargo that our country has against Cuba and the travel laws that prohibit average citizens of our free country from traveling to Cuba. (The law does not prohibit anyone from exercising their first amendment right of a free press and documentaries are protected works of journalism.)

I was floored when our lawyers told me this. "Are you saying they might actually confiscate our movie?" "Yes," was the answer. "These days, anything is possible. Even if there is just a 20 percent chance the government would seize our movie before Cannes, does anyone want to take that risk?"

Certainly not. So there we were last week, spiriting a duplicate master negative out of the country just so no one from the government would take it from us. (Seriously, I can't believe I just typed those words! Did I mention that I'm an American, and this is America and NO ONE should ever have to say they had to do such a thing?)

I mean, folks, I have just about had it. Investigating ME because I'm trying to help some 9/11 rescue workers our government has abandoned? Once again, up is down and black is white. There are only two people in need of an investigation and a trial, and the desire for this across America is so widespread you don't even need to see the one's smirk or hear the other's sneer to know who I am talking about.

But no, I'm the one who now has to hire lawyers and sneak my documentary out of the country just so people can see a friggin' movie. I mean, it's just a movie! What on earth could I have placed on celluloid that would require such a nonsensical action against me?

Ok. Scratch that.

Well, I'm on my way to Cannes right now, a copy of the movie in my bag. Don't feel too bad for me, I'll be in the south of France for a week! But then it's back to the U.S. for a number of premieres and benefits and then, finally, a chance for all of you to see this film that I have made. Circle June 29th on your calendar because that's when it opens in theaters everywhere across the country and Canada (for the rest of the world, it opens in the fall).

I can't wait for you to see it.

Yours,

Michael Moore

P.S. I will write more about what happens from Cannes. Stay tuned on my website, MichaelMoore.com.

Audio Version of It's a Wonderful Afterlife Vol One Available!

Flipside on Kindle

My Film Page

My dogme film "CAMERA"

As an experiment, I decided to make a film with a DV camera, completely improvised. The premise was simple; a camera gets stolen from a store and goes around the planet. Every time the lens cap comes off a new story begins.. and at some point, I get the camera and decide to make a "no budget" film. However, no one wants to be in my film (and yet, all the people I approach seem familiar, as they've already been in it). At the end my friend tells me "Why don't you just make a film about a camera?" Appearances by Rebecca Broussard, Carol Alt and Angie Everhart. This film was designated Dogme #15 by the Dogme 95 project. Click on the photo to buy the DVD or it is available streaming video on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/CAMERA-DOGME-15/dp/B001N8XV1S/ref=tmm_aiv_title_0

Flipside Book Talk Orange County IANDS group

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Trailer for "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide to the Afterlife"

Flipside Book talk and Past life regression

Here's an hour or so video of my latest book talk at Mystic Journey Books in Venice, Ca. Enjoy!

And here's the second part of the talk, which includes a between life demonstration by Scott De Tamble (lightbetweenlives.com) who has never before conducted a hypnosis session in public. The woman in the audience had become upset when I was speaking about a past life memory which included a native american massacre - afterwards, Scott offered to help her get to the root of the emotion she was having. She's a friend of mine, an industry professional, had read the book "Flipside" but had never met Scott before.

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You can always go to paypal, don't have to be a subscriber, and add my email RichMartini at yahoo and send whatever you can - if you want to keep me on this path! (and out of the mainstream media *grin*)

Trailer for "Someone To Call My Own"

A decade long examination into where music comes from starring Deron Johnson and Monica Behan. In festival release.

Trailer for "Earhart's Electra: Eyewitness Accounts"

Eyewitness interviews about what really happened to the nation's most famous pilot. Over 200 people saw her in the Marianas after she disappeared and the US Marines found her plane on Saipan. 6 of them are interviewed here.

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Cafe Press Martini Tshirts

Waiting for enlightenment

In Caffe Luxxe - photo by Russ Titelman

The Martini Shot

It's the last shot of the day. So named, supposedly, because this was when the director was stirring his drinks to celebrate the end of the shoot. The "Abby Singer"is the shot before the Martini shot, named after the AD who invented the "Martini Shot." The last shot of any picture I've directed we call Martini's "Martini." Thanks Abby. (After that, it's all downhill, or uphill, depending.) Welcome to my blog.

You Can't Hurry Love

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Limit Up

Limit Up was released theatrically, lived for awhile on VHS, but does not yet have a DVD release (alas!). Ray Charles plays God to Danitra Vance's guardian angel, with Nancy Allen and Dean Stockwell starring.

Point of Betrayal

Tibetan Refugee Part One

In response to the recent events in Tibet, I've posted my feature length documentary with quotes from monks and children beaten and tortured by the Chinese authorities in Tibet. Please find it at youtube under "Tibetan Refugee Part One" etc until part five. It's at netflix, but on youtube it's free. Thanks.
Available at TibetDoc.com